Aftermath: Remember the Croquembouche
by jaik
Summary: This is the missing mother/daughter moment. Of course, there will be some drama. You just can't have a good story without, at least some, drama. It's going to start out with Farrah and Amy. Then Lauren will come in to play her part. Of, course Karma will get some action but it will take a couple of chapters to get there.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! I'm setting this up to take place right after Karma leaves at the end of "Remember the Croquembouche". I felt like we were missing a mother/daughter talk. So, here it is. And of course some drama is planned. You can't have a good story without some drama.**

**Also, fare warning. This is not my first story and sorry to say I have not had much success in finishing many of them. I seem to always start strong then run out steam regardless of the amazing ideas running through my little brain. Of course I'm not a full time writer so life does a good job in getting in the way of a good story line. I have an idea where I want to go with this. So, fingers crossed this is a story I can make it to the end. I promise to do my very best to not disappoint.**

**AND NONE OF FAKING IT BELONGS TO ME. I'm just borrowing the characters for bit.**

Amy Raudenfeld lay on her bed feeling like an asshole. She ruined her mother's bridal shower because of…what? Jealousy? It was f**Bleep**ucking ridiculous! Her mother was right after all. Amy really did hate all of that girly shit. And frankly, Lauren is the perfect daughter. After Karma left her alone to mull things over she knew exactly what she had to do.

Amy got up feeling a little dizzy and coughing to clear the tickle in her throat. "Great, getting sick is no less than I deserve right now after what I did tonight", she thought. Karma with a little 'k' just bit her right in the ass. After getting her bearings she made her way down the hall to her mother's closed door. Standing in front of it she took a deep breath, which nearly caused a coughing fit she had to suppress. After calming down she gave the door a timid knock.

"Come in", came her mother's voice.

Opening the door slowly she whispered, "Mom."

"Amy", her mom said bluntly.

"Can we talk?" Amy asked quietly.

Farrah Raudenfeld, knowing full well she would have to forgive her daughter eventually, nodded a silent affirmative reply as she scooted over to make room for her baby girl. Watching this gesture caused tears to spring unceremoniously into Amy's eye causing her to swipe at her face and cough to clear her throat. Farrah opened her arms offering Amy a much needed hug. As she buried her face into her mother's embrace she started to talk unsure if she could even be heard, "Mommy, I'm so sorry for how acted. I can't explain what came over me. After Dad…I don't know! Everything just stated moving so fast and now…I just have all these feeling and they are making me nuts…"

"Baby, I will not tell you I'm not disappointed but I will tell you that I'm not completely surprised after thinking on it a bit. Now I think…actually I know that we are over due for a good long talk. And just so know, Hun, I'm very sorry too."

Amy pulled out of the embrace just far enough to see her mother's expression while giving a quizzical look of her own before laying her ear over her mother's heart. Laying there like that made them both remember a more innocent time. When a very young and tiny Amy had a long hard night she could only be soothed by her Mommy's heartbeat. The rhythmic beat created the blanket of safety from the big bad world. They had not had a moment like this in a very long time.

Farrah began speaking softly attempting to not disturb the moment to badly, "we should have spoken before now. I'm so sorry I didn't discuss making Lauren my braid's made with you. In the process of trying to make Lauren feel more comfortable here I was leaving you completely out. Amy, honey, we are in this together and I forgot that for a minute. I hope you can give me."

"No you were right. I really do hate all the girly dressing up. Besides it would have been a matter of minutes before I embarrassed you and probably at the wedding. Tonight was case and point. I was jealous for no reason. I was complete jerk to you and to Lauren. Let's face it…Lauren is the perfect daughter."

"Oh, Baby, you are not so bad yourself. I may not understand you but I wouldn't want you any other way. I should have included you in all the decision making and planning. We are going to be a family and it's a big deal for it to work. You and Lauren should have been working together from the start."

"Except we hated each other from the start."

Farrah couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her throat, "which, Amy, is why you should have been working together from the start."

Amy shared the moment with her mother with her own laugh, "I love you, Mom."

"Oh, honey, I love you so much. I don't say it nearly enough."

After a few minutes of comforting silence Amy broke in with all the thoughts running through head a jumbled mess, "Mom, I want you to know something. I don't know if you will understand this because I'm having trouble understanding it too." Farrah stayed silent steeling herself for what she was about to hear. Her strong, beautiful daughter was about to confide in her. "I really…I really love her. I don't know when it happened. I didn't want it too. I even tried kissing a boy. His name is Oliver. I liked hanging out with him but I just…God! Why is this so hard?"

Running her fingers lightly through Amy's hair Farrah finally had a glimmer of understanding, "You don't feel complete without her."

There it was, a brief moment of understanding.


	2. Chapter 2

Farrah lay awake with her daughter's head on her chest listening to soft even breaths indicating a deep sleep while gently rubbed tiny circles against her back. She savored moments like this one because they shared so few of them. Amy had grown into a strong and independent young woman. As Amy grew up, especially during the time without a father, she needed less and less comforting. Then when Amy met Karma she nearly lost her daughter completely. Amy simply no longer sought out her mother for love and affection. Since the girls were five years old and even as new friends there were many times she would walk in to find Amy cuddled against Karma. Always with Amy's head resting over her Karma's heartbeat and always with Karma wrapping a protective hand wrapped around Amy.

The sudden change in Amy's breathing brought Farrah out of her reverie. Her daughter now sat bolt upright pale and seemed to struggle for each breath. Lifting Amy's tank top revealed red splotchy hives. After 30 seconds of sheer panic she screamed, "LAUREN! LAUREN!"

"Okay, Amy, I know it's hard but you need to try to calm down. We are going to get your meds into you and you'll be alright." Amy couldn't hear anything beyond the thought of breathing. The air was gone from the world as it faded from gray to black.

Lauren burst into the room stunned, "Farrah, what's going…" She stopped talking mid sentence when she saw Amy struggling to breath.

"Lauren?" Farrah asked but didn't get an immediate reaction. "LAUREN! I need you right now okay. Do you understand?"

Snapping back into her senses Lauren nodded frantically watching the scene before her, "Yes, I'm here."

"Good. Do you know what the epi-pens look like?" Lauren nodded. "Good. Run next door and get me one. Right now, run!" Without a second more delay Lauren ran for the medication.

While Lauren ran next door Farrah reached for her phone to dial 911, "911. Please state the nature of your emergency…"

"My daughter, Amy, is having an anaphylactic reaction," Farrah said sounding incredibly calm.

"What are her symptoms? Is she conscious?"

"She is very pale and having trouble breathing. I can see hive spreading and she passed out before I dialed 911."

"Okay, has adrenaline been administered?" asked the dispatcher.

"My other daughter, Lauren, uh, she is getting me an epi-pen?

"Good. Do you know what has caused the reaction?"

"I'm not sure but she has a severe nut allergy…" Returning with the pen Lauren thrust it at Farrah. Farrah smiled as best could taking the epi-pen from her soon-to-be-daughter when bells went off in her head, "Lauren, were there nuts in the cake?"

Lauren being caught off guard couldn't help automatically correcting the name of desert despite the seriousness of the situation, "Nuts in the Croquembouche? Uhmmmm…Simone made her specialty caramel Almond delight."

"Almonds! There were almonds at my bridal shower", Farrah said into the phone.

"Almonds…Shit!" Lauren whispered, "this is all my fault…"

"Okay, we have dispatched an emergency medical team to your location. They will be there in the next 5 to 10 minutes."

"Thank you. Thank you. I'm going to talk Lauren through using the pen", Farrah said into the phone as she turned to explain what she was doing, "Lauren, you need to know how to this is case I'm not here. Karma knows what to do but you won't have time to look for Karma or me."

Still looking stunned with her realization Lauren spoke as she remembered the first time she saw the epi-pens, "I saw these in the drawer when I first moved in. Amy showed me the trainer." In that moment she had no idea how serious the situation could be. Was Amy even breathing now?

"Good, that's good. But, Honey, nothing is quite like the real thing. Okay?" Lauren nodded concentrating on taking in everything Farrah was telling her. "The epi-pen with the medicine is inside this tube." Farrah flipped open the blue protective cap and dropping the pen into her hand. "You won't be able to see the needle but it's under this orange guard. Don't worry about clothing they can go through jeans pretty easily. It's important to stick this in her upper thigh like this. Make sure you put enough force behind it so the needle engages," Farrah pulled her arm back then jabbed Amy in her upped thigh. There was audible click for the mechanism, "that click means the needle engaged. It's important to keep it in for a few seconds. Count 10 Misissippis." Farrah stopped talking while concentrating on the needle she just jabbed into Amy's leg. After her silent count she spoke, "Pull the needle out then rub the spot to stimulate the area. Keep the spent cartridge for the EMTs."

Almost immediately an unconscious Amy began breathing more normally. Lauren nearly passed out herself waiting for Amy to breath again. She watched as Farrah took in a deep breath of relief as they both watched the rise and fall of Amy's chest.

When the banging began Lauren ran to let the EMTs in and directed them to the master bedroom. She was numb with the thought of this being her fault. Blood rushed in her ears as she followed them up the stairs to watch her soon to be sister being treated before being loaded onto the gurney.

**DARMA BOMB! Hehe! This chapter comes about because I have really wanted a scene about Amy being allergic to nuts since the pilot. Really, why hasn't Karma had peanut butter in 10 years?**

**Now I'm no doctor nor do I personally have this type of allergy. Any mistakes I made are because I GTS'd. I was going for more mother daughter stuff but with Lauren this time.**

**My final note after my reread: If it sounds a bit awkward with the pronouns it's because there are a lot of women in the show.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I was trying to figure out how Karma would find out. I toyed with the idea with having Lauren call but this seemed a better way to go. Besides, it gave me a chapter with a little Lucas and Molly included. And I have been wondering how close the girls live to each other. I think the reason they were able to be such close friends all these years was because they were in walking distance of each other. **

Karma Ashcroft sat in the living watching some random documentary with her parents. Not wanting to be alone after leaving Amy she sat in the lazy boy as her parents cuddled on the sofa. Instead of watching the documentary she was casually watching her parents. She was in awe of how much they genuinely cared about each. Yes, they were beyond socially awkward weirdoes but in all honesty she wouldn't have it any other way. Her parents simply have a relationship she dreams having one day.

As the documentary played sirens could be heard in the distance. Molly lifted her head from Lucas' shoulder, "are those sirens getting louder?"

When Karma heard her mother speak she could feel her heartbeat begin to quicken. Feeling as though something was terribly wrong she got up to open the curtain revealing an ambulance rolling to a stop in front of her house. The flashing lights and the siren of an ambulance filled the usually silent street. Concerned neighbors were filing out of their houses to see what was causing all the commotion.

"Oh, God!" Karma whispered as she stumbled to the door to watch EMTs bang on her best friend's front door. She turned around to see her parents behind her. She looked up at them show the raw fear written across her features with only one thing in her head, "Amy..."

As Karma bolted barefoot to the house across the street she barely heard her mother call after her, "Muffin, wait!"

Karma had to get to Amy. As she ran the world seemed to slow down nearly to a stop. She watched as the door opened revealing Lauren in the doorway briefly looking pale and shocked. She watched as Lauren disappeared back into the house after the EMTs and leaving the door hanging wide open.

In the open front door the world sped up again as she took the stairs two at a time. Seeing the EMTs in the master bedroom she felt relief and revulsion at herself when her first thought was, "thank you, God! It's not Amy!"

She stood next to door out of the way but still in earshot. She fell against the wall as her knees buckled hearing one of the EMTs report back to dispatch, "16 year old female. Suspected Anaphylaxis from a nut allergy. Adrenaline administered in the field…"

The gurney was past her before she could move and even breath again. She caught the slightest glimpse of Amy's unconscious form drift by. She nearly knocked Lauren to the floor trying to get her body to move in behind the parade of people traversing carefully down the stairs with their precious cargo.

She grabbed at Lauren's arm, "what the hell happened? She was fine when I left!"

"There were almonds in the cake," Lauren said sounding defeated.

"In the Croquembouche? Didn't you know about her allergy?"

"I…I…can we please talk about this later?" at this point Lauren was barely hold back the tears forming behind her eyes.

"Shit!" Karma said as she looked down to see the empty staircase. Pulling away from Lauren she barreled down the stairs surprising herself by not tumbling down the stairs ass over tea kettle. She made it outside just in time to see her best friend being loaded into the ambulance.


End file.
